Army chief endorsed by Thai King to head NCPO

BANGKOK, May 26 (TNA) - Thai Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has been officially appointed by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej to head the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which has taken over national administration since May 22, 2014. After a ceremony for his official appointment as the NCPO chief, held at the Royal Thai Army headquarters in Bangkok on Monday morning, General Prayuth promised to work at his best for public and national interest and to exercise power with fairness. General Prayuth insisted that the NCPO will take actions and use beneficial lessons to introduce true democracy in Thailand, asking people to give times for his council to work. General Prayuth noted that he has assigned Royal Thai Armed Forces chiefs to initially coordinate designated areas of national administration with civil servants, assuring that they will work with transparency and efficiency. The NCPO chief clarified that he has summoned over 150 leading figures to create understanding and he will relieve measures when the domestic situation improves. The NCPO asked mass media to refrain from posting online messages which could provoke conflicts in the society; otherwise, they would be arrested, prosecuted by the martial court and suspended from financial transactions. Asked whether he would become an interim prime minister, the NCPO chief acknowledged that there would be an interim prime minister and an interim government. According to the NCPO chief, how long his council would remain would depend on the domestic situation. (TNA)